05 October 2010, 22:00
Investigation finds death of Georgian luger in Vancouver accidental
The death of Georgian luger (sleigh racer) Nodar Kumaritashvili on the Olympic track in Whistler on the eve of the opening ceremony of Winter Olympics-2010 in Canada was a result of a tragic accident. This is the conclusion of the inspector dealing with the case.
Let us remind you that Kumaritashvili, 21, died on February 12 this year in the city of Whistler, just a couple of hours before the opening of the Olympic Games. While covering the last bend of the bobsleigh track, he crashed into the metal fencing. Claimants tried to bring the designers and administration of the track in Whistler to responsibility for criminal negligence.
"The tragedy was caused by an occasional coincidence of several factors," says the 16-page report of the investigator, quoted by the newspaper "Vancouver Sun", the "GZT.RU" has reported today. According to investigator Tom Polovski, the death of the athlete was caused by his insufficient experience and too high speed picked up by him on the track.
Nevertheless, the investigation concluded that the track safety was at the "acceptable level", and its administration and stewards acted according to the protocol and made everything in their power to save Kumaritashvili's life.
At the same time, the International Luge and Bobsleigh Federations were recommended to think about higher track safety, the inspector's report concludes.
